


Two Characters in Search of an Author

by crimsondust



Category: Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Gen, Gillenormand gets annoyed by the Youth, Originally Posted on Tumblr, minor appearance by Bahorel and Prouvaire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsondust/pseuds/crimsondust
Summary: A Short ficlet written for akallabeth-joie about Gavroche and Navet running into Victor Hugo circa 1830.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	Two Characters in Search of an Author

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Akallabeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akallabeth/gifts).



> The title is a reference to the absurdist play 'Six Characters in search of an Author' and refers to the blurring of the walls between fiction and reality.

Gavroche and Navet were engrossed in the lives of snails on the sidewalk. These tiny beings in their colourful shells occupied their attention so completely, that they had not noticed a large figure with a buttoned up stiff collar, and a prominent forehead, glancing at their games.

Gavroche recognized the face and poked Navet in the shoulder, ‘Why look here Navet, isn’t that the writer of the play with the poison, the dagger and Mademoiselle Muche sleeping under her veil?’

Navet looked puzzled at Gavroche, he had been at a lot of plays that involved poison and the dagger and he was fond of Mademoiselle Mars’ appearances.

‘The one that caused a fight and was talked about for days by all the actors of our acquaintance!’

Navet nodded vigorously and then proudly added, ‘I booed very loudly at the bourgeois who would not stop complaining. I could not even hear the dialogue from the back.’

‘See. He is our good friend. I have seen his other plays and thrown cabbage at him many times. We will tell him of the adventures of our snails. Pardi! Perhaps we can earn a sou.’

Gavroche ran out with the makeshift bag of snails, but stopped mid-track when his sight was caught by an interesting scene and hid among some nearby bushes to watch the drama unfold in front of him.

It was Gillenormand out for an evening stroll, looking horrified at the sight of assorted students and various Romantics, one of them dressed in a rash, red waistcoat.

The two students in the front of the group had managed to annoy Gillenormand with their appearance alone- one was wearing a medieval doublet and the other a red waistcoat. He would complain to his daughter about students running around wearing the red of the revolution and having no respect for anything. 

‘Why Monsieur Farce, we are pleased you could join us from the 18th Century.’ Gavroche laughed, loud enough for Gillenormand to hear. The old man pompously raised his cane in Gavroche’s direction and muttered, ‘Gamin’

‘Relic.’ Gavroche shouted back, as the group came in full view. 

‘By the pantouflouche of the pantouflouchade!’ Gillenormand spat out his famous oath, getting increasingly incensed as some of the students started singing a loud strain of ‘We will make a Bouzingo…Bouzingo,’ and some others took to banging pots and pans along, causing heads to turn towards them and windows to cautiously open. Gillenormand launched into his favourite speech about the excesses of youth to no one in particular, 'The youth of today are blackguards who have no respect for any institution, call themselves Romantics or such affectation and have the impudence to walk around insulting the monarchy. What an abomination.’

'Abomination yourself,’ Gavroche retorted louder still, sticking out his tongue and poking his head out from his hiding place to have a better view of the group of Bousingos that he had instantly taken a liking to. 

Gillenormand looked as if he was under a fit of apoplexy as the songs became rowdier, causing a commotion on the street. Several residents had appeared out of their houses, perplexed as to what was happening in their quiet neighbourhood.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the National Guard appeared and cut short the students revelries. He would be glad of the comfort of his own armchair from where he could talk at his daughter about his opinions on the youth of today, a speech which he had given so many times that he could recite it in his sleep. Mademoiselle Gillenormand bore his speeches with a stoic attitude that she had cultivated all those years living under the same roof. 

Gavroche turned with the bag of snails to find that on the other side of the street, oblivious to the commotion, the author had disappeared among a crowd of gamins and gamines who were trying to sell him their wares- mainly worms and bugs in old tattered socks and persuading him to buy them. 

He laughed and opened the bag with the snails who scuttled about on their way, and draped his arm around Navet’s shoulders as they sang a refrain from the bouzingo song that could be heard for miles.

**Author's Note:**

> Gavroche throwing cabbage at Hugo is PilferingApples' headcanon, which I really like. All credit for the headcanon goes to Pilf.
> 
> The Arrests of some of the Bouzingos/Jeunes France at Rue des Prouvaires was a real event which happened in February 1832, I have taken liberties with the timeline by shifting it to 1830.


End file.
